The Land of the Sages
by Cyberkyd
Summary: A young master of the Kuraigan, the Dark Eye, is called from the Land of the Sages to join two ninja in an effort to track down a mysterious group who call themselves the Demon Sages. Along the way they encounter many obstacles and hardships which test their abilities as not only ninja but as three outsiders who must learn to trust each other with their very lives. AU
1. Chapter 1

This is a story taking place in a world quite different from the canon Naruto universe. The biggest difference lies in the history of the Uchiha family. Itachi Uchiha never went down the path he followed in the canon, meaning neither he nor Sasuke had much of an eventful life. The Akatsuki also never turned evil, but instead developed into an anti-affiliation rescue group. After many adventures which belong in another story Naruto and his companions learned of the dangers of the Tailed Beasts and sealed them away, leading to Naruto's reputation as the hero of the Hidden Leaf Village and, one day, Hokage. I won't go into too much detail as that all really belongs in another story. Perhaps some day I will chronicle those tales as well. But today we travel almost a hundred and fifty years past Naruto taking up his position, to a time when a great danger threatened the safety of all those dwelling in the Land of the Shinobi. Contrary to what you might think, sages are far more common than once believed. Indeed, they live in a land of their own…

* * *

"One more time." The elderly man pointed towards a burnt tree rising into the sky. He stepped back, giving his student space.

Junichiro raised his hands and deftly manipulated them into several positions, ending with the familiar four-fingered tiger seal. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" A small sphere of fire spewed from the young boy's lips, curling into a ball but dissipating after travelling only a few feet. Junichiro stamped his foot in frustration, glaring at the charred grass at his feet. "I'll never get it, Masahiro-Sensei!"

Masahiro, the old man, patted his young student on the shoulder. "You have the skill, and you have the chakra. You just need to learn the technique. Which takes practice. Don't worry, you just got here a few months ago." Indeed, Masahiro the Snake Sage had taken this six-year-old to be his student only a few months ago. The old man had recognized young orphan Junichiro's large chakra reserves and had decided to risk training the boy, for a little while at least.

His new charge had been happy to find someone interested in him after almost a year being looked-over at the orphanage. Unlike most of the other children Junichiro sported a generally thoughtful and serious face, and because of this potential adopters usually passed Junichiro over in favor of more cheerful and happy-looking children.

Masahiro had watched for several weeks as the boy had eagerly helped with the chores associated with running a blood bank, almost never complaining or showing signs of laziness. When the old man had finally decided Junichiro showed the signs of hard work necessary to become a ninja. "Watch this," he said, and rolled back his right sleeve. Six separate circular seals lay on his arm spiraling from the biceps outwards, each consisting of a hexagon with a kanji inside. Junichiro looked on in awe as the old man bit his left thumb and swiped it in a spiral around his right arm, activating all six of the seals with a streak of blood.

A puff of smoke suddenly appeared and when it cleared six large snakes of different colors stood around the snake sage. "Issssss thissssss the one, Masahiro?" the black snake hissed sibilantly as it stared fixedly at the fearless Junichiro. The rest of the serpents hissed slightly but remained deferentially silent.

"Yes," Masahiro responded. He knelt down to meet the boy's eyes. "You may know that some of the people who come to the clinic call me a ninja, but the truth is I am something more. I am a Sage, someone who has studied long and hard under these wise creatures to learn their secrets. I chose you because I think you have what it takes to become a Sage as well. What do you say? Even if you refuse, you've been such a help that I'll still keep you, but I don't want you accepting this offer unless you truly desire to follow the path of the Snake Sage."

Junichiro did not answer right away. "Can I have a few days to think about it?" The young boy asked. Masahiro nodded his approval and sent Junichiro back to his chores.

But three days later Junichiro had made his decision. "Yes, I want to become a Snake Sage. Please teach me." He had confronted Masahiro after the blood bank had closed, standing straight and serious as he uttered the words.

The old man smiled and ruffled his hair. "Thought you would. Call me Masahiro-Sensei from now on, all right?"

"Yes, Sensei." The little boy's face relaxed into a rare grin. "When can I get the snakes, Sensei?"

"Not for a while, Junichiro. Not for a long while."

Junichiro made the seal of the tiger again. "Fireball Jutsu!" This time the flame was just a bit brighter and traveled just a bit further. The young boy smiled. Once he mastered this technique to the satisfaction of Kaji, the Serpent Sage of Fire, Junichiro would be granted the first of the six seals Masahiro-Sensei already sported. That would take many long hours of practice, but the day would eventually come when Junichiro, son of nobody and overlooked by everyone, would take his first step onto the path of the Snake Sage.

"Fireball Jutsu!"

* * *

Hello. I'm Cyberkyd. I wish to tell you first off, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. You may wonder why the story is so disconnected from the canon events, but I have a couple good reasons for doing so. First, by blatantly separating myself from canon by putting the story in an alternate universe, I am free from having to watch every episode of the original show _and_ Shippuden. This way I can cut it off early and create an entirely new adventure in the same world we have all come to know and love. Secondly, I can avoid using any canon characters which means no more raging fans saying Sasuke wasn't emo enough/was too emo, etc. Thirdly, I can add tons of crazy new Jutsu and Kekkei Genkai and even how the Sages work without worrying about being too far-fetched... If this was put in the Naruto canon universe, say, halfway through the original series, I would need to explain why Orochimaru didn't use the Kuraigan to learn everyone's Jutsu. This way the Snake Sages are simply _different_. Anyway, please don't take too much offense. Even if I'm butchering your favorite parts of the story there are plenty of other Naruto fanfictions out there by so many talented authors! I simply appreciate the time you've taken to read this brief introductory chapter. Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll come back for more!

~Cyber


	2. Chapter 2

Hello everyone! First off, thank you for putting up with me for more than one chapter. Second, I have a note about the setting and characters. Yes, EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER IS ORIGINAL. Yes, the main character is considerably powerful. But no, he is not a self-insert. I can't change your mind through persuasive arguments, but I encourage you to keep on reading. I wish I could have simply jumped into the actual story but really, the main character needs some special introduction. I promise you, though, I will avoid Mary-Sues and cliches every step of the way in an effort to provide you with an enjoyable story. Thanks again for reading!

* * *

Eight years had passed since young Junichiro first put his hands together and called forth the chakra his sensei had promised him lay within. Five seals now adorned the right arm of the young Sage-in-training, each a testament to his sufficient mastery of a certain technique. Some came more easily than others, a few taking only three or four months while several seals took years to master. Now only the final seal remained to be mastered.

Junichiro lay in his cot positioned in the corner of the house adjoining Masahiro-Sensei's blood bank. Moonlight filtered in through the window above the boy's cot, streaming over Junichiro's extended arm. The student slowly turned the arm from side to side, examining the five hexagonal seals as he thought about the soon-coming morning. Today Junichiro would be tested by Yami, the final Serpent Sage, and he wasn't very optimistic about his chances. Masahiro-Sensei had been training his student for over three years on this single technique-the two had spent more time on this one technique than any two others combined.

Sometimes the boy wondered why he even continued, but he had continued along the path of knowledge for so long already, it would be a shame to stop now. "Each seal gives you great power, Junichiro," Masahiro had told the boy after he earned his first seal. The Fireball Jutsu was the easiest to learn out of all of them, merely requiring large amounts of chakra rather than any particular level of skill. After only a single month Junichiro could hurl an inferno the size of a large boulder at a tree, scorching and burning wood and bark alike. Kaji the Serpent Sage had touched his scaly nose to Junichiro's arm, branding it with his blessing.

Each time Junichiro mastered a technique he felt a surge of pride, but none more than that first day when he knew that for once in his life he had truly accomplished something extraordinary. Now, looking at his tattooed arm which was filled with almost nine years' worth of memories, Junichiro thought back to that day and forward to the day on which the sixth seal would join the others. Perhaps that very day, perhaps not.

"Can't sleep?" Junichiro looked quickly up at his sensei who had approached as silently as a ghost.

"No, Sensei."

"Understandable. I couldn't sleep on my final day either. Though it certainly didn't take me three years to learn the Shadow Void Jutsu."

Junichiro gave his sensei a sidelong glance. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Sensei."

Masahiro laughed and clapped his student on the back. "Hey, you might as well get up. It's not like you're going to get any more sleep tonight." The boy rose from his bed and made breakfast, chewing the beans and rice slowly by the red light of the stove. After he had finished eating Junichiro changed into his heavy, dark training uniform and confronted his sensei.

"I'm ready, Masahiro-Sensei," Junichiro announced firmly. His stomach was turning with anxiety but outwardly the boy showed no signs of emotion as he had been trained.

"Are you?" The old man put down the mug of tea he had been drinking and stood. "Yes, I think you are. Come on then."

Sage and student exited the house and walked silently through the forest behind the blood bank, neither saying a word until they reached a large clearing. Scorched earth and shattered stone lay around the area, testaments to the many hours Junichiro had spent practicing advanced techniques over and over, even after he had mastered them so that his prowess would not fade.

Junichiro's mind wandered back through the years as he noticed a certain tree, a particular rift in the ground, a small pond, each the spot where he had once labored under the hot sun in search of the knowledge of the Sages. Would he succeed today as he had five times already?

The boy stood in the center of the clearing. It was still dark, but the sun was just about to rise. The bottoms of the clouds glowed purple and bathed the area in an ominous pre-dawn shadow, the perfect setting for what was to come.

Masahiro had come to a stop ten feet away from his student. The sage rolled up his right sleeve just a bit, exposing the hexagonal seal planted on the inside of his wrist just below the palm. He pricked his left thumb on a kunai knife and wiped the freshly welling blood onto the newly exposed seal. "Sage Art: Snake Summoning Jutsu!"

Yami, the huge black cobra who presided over the six Serpent Sages, appeared between the two humans in a puff of smoke. Masahiro bowed to him and the serpent acknowledged the gesture with a flare of his nostrils. "Isssssss it time?"

"Yes. The boy is ready."

With a sibilant hiss Yami fluidly turned and fixed the suddenly anxious Junichiro with his black and white eyes. "Are you ready for thissssssss, human who would be Sage?"

Junchiro swallowed his apprehension and nodded firmly. "I am. What will my target be, Yami-Sensei?"

The huge cobra reared up to his full height of ten feet, hood flaring majestically in the growing light of dawn. "Me, little boy! That isssssss, if you can!" The lids of the snake's eyes briefly flickered but his gaze never wavered. "You have until the ssssssun rissssesssss to itssssss fullessssst."

With a bow Junichiro stepped forward. "Yes, Yami-Sensei!" He had to attack the snake itself? How could he possibly accomplish such a feat? The boy raised both hands to chest level. Tiger, snake, rat, snake... His hands moved deftly with the dexterity which comes from years of practice, forming each hand seal quickly and accurately. Finally his fingers rested in the final position, rat. "Sage Art: Shadow Void Jutsu!"

The Shadow Void Jutsu requires very little skill but a high level of both concentration and chakra. It is a variation of the Shadow Manipulation Jutsu in which the user forces his or her chakra out through his shadow into the target, holding the target in place by freezing their muscles. When the target can hold no more chakra the user abruptly and quickly reverses the flow of chakra, drawing it out and in theory causing the target's chakra network to become useless until it heals-usually a several-week process. Used upon a ninja of normal level the Shadow Void Jutsu can take over an hour to fully implement. Junichiro couldn't even begin to imagine how long it would take on the Serpent Sage Yami.

But every task must be begun before it can be completed. Junichiro stepped forward so that his shadow overlapped that of the enormous snake, and initiated the technique. Instantly the shadows flowed together and darkened, bound together by the powerful technique. The boy began forcing chakra out of every pore in his body, directing it downwards along his shadow and up into the Serpent Sage.

Boy and snake stood perfectly still for almost four hours. Patience was Junichiro's strong point; this part was easy for him. Even so, the chakra depletion he was going through put an enormous strain on his body. The benefit of the Shadow Void Jutsu was that it allowed for the accumulation of natural energy all Sages learn early in their training which can then be converted to chakra, so Junichiro was not in danger of running out for another few hours. But the sheer amount Yami was capable of holding worried the boy-when it came time to reverse the flow, could Junichiro avoid absorbing so much that his own body was incapacitated?

Yami's frozen body loomed silently over the boy as the trainee's chakra flowed into his huge frame. His large eyes fixed were fixed upon those of Junichiro, flickering eyelids the only visible movement in his entire serpentine form. Masahiro stood in the distance, feeling the tension build and watching the first beads of sweat forming on his student's brow. The sun was definitely in the sky now, but it would still be hours before noon came and the test would be over.

Forty-five minutes late Junichiro began to feel he had almost reached the limits of his chakra pool. Worry flitted across his mind and he wondered if even his chakra pool, enhanced as it was by the five seals on his right arm and his rigorous training, would truly be enough.

Just when Junichiro thought he had reached his limit he felt a sudden resistance. "That's it," he muttered through gritted teeth. With one decisive mental yank he redirected and reversed the flow of chakra and the giant snake's body began draining of chakra.

But it was going far too slowly. _This _was the part Junichiro had spent the majority of the last three years practicing, the part he could never seem to get right. Masahiro described it as feeling like drawing a bucket on a rope from a deep well, but to Junichiro it was more like trying to grasp a stream of water with his bare hands. Tiny amounts of chakra were being pulled into the trainee-Sage's muscled frame but most of it simply redirected back into the snake's body.

Less than an hour remained. Masahiro shaded his eyes with one hand as he looked up into the sky, judging the time. He frowned. Yami hadn't actually moved but in the now-bright light of the sun the corners of his scaly mouth seemed to be twisted in a grin. Junichiro sweated and shook, trying desperately to draw in the chakra. At that moment, he knew he couldn't complete the technique in time. "I just hope Masahiro-sensei won't be too angry."

With extreme effort Junichiro turned his head to meet his teacher's gaze. "Sorry, Sensei!"

Masahiro gave him a sad smile. "It's okay, Junichiro. There will always be another day..." The he saw his student's left hand going to his pocket. What was he doing?

Junichiro slowly turned his head back to look at the curious Yami. He kept only the barest trickle of chakra coming in, just enough to sustain the technique, but forced himself to stay calm as he performed this delicate action. In the boy's left hand was a small vial of blood he had "borrowed" from his sensei's special store. A tiny label on the front read "Uchiha."

Carefully the trainee-Sage uncorked the vial and smeared it over all five seals on his right arm. "Hey! Where'd you get that?"

Junichiro ignored his sensei. "Sage Art: Imperfect Blood Transfusion. Uchiha Clan Kekkei Genkai Imitation!" The seals began to glow and a sharp pain filled both his eyes. Junichiro's limbs began to shake even more and his body threatened to fail him. But the boy forced his head upwards, and met Yami's gaze with blood-red eyes. "Sharingan!"

At once the unfamiliar technique began to drain the boy's tiny pool of remaining chakra, and when that was empty it latched on to the supply of the giant snake. The eyes siphoned off enormous amounts of energy, faster and faster, until finally Junichiro pulled his gaze away and sunk to the ground unconscious.

Masahiro rushed over and felt his student's pulse. "Junichiro!" He picked his student up and ran with him through the forest, the Serpent Sage keeping pace.

"That wasssssss very ssssstupid, but mossssssst ingeniousssssssss," Yami commented. Masahiro did not respond.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for reading! I'd appreciate a review if you have the time :-}

* * *

Junichiro awoke in his cot, Masahiro looming over him. The boy instinctively cringed and shut his eyes; they still ached from the unaccustomed strain of using the Sharingan. Junichiro had found a scroll labelled "Snake Sage Hidden Arts" while cleaning the secure store room of the blood clinic one day, and had curiously read it. To the boy's excitement the scroll told of secret techniques which implemented seals to temporarily give the user access to a Kekkei Genkai, or special technique normally genetically restricted to a certain shinobi clan.

The trainee-sage finally understood why his sensei spent so many hours extracting certain bits and drops of blood from the samples they took in, carefully labeling them and storing them in the secure room. Even if a donor was not a direct descendent of a particular ninja clan they generally had the merest _something_ in their blood which could be distilled and combined into an artificial substitute for pure blood. Using this blood a Snake Sage could activate the seals on his or her arm and the blood would assimilate into the user's system, granting them usage of the Kekkei Genkai for a time.

Of course, the technique worked best using a completed set of seals. Junichiro only had five and so had to rely on the Imperfect Blood Transfusion variant. This version is much more costly in terms of chakra, but then that is exactly what Junichiro needed. The boy had known his sensei would not be pleased, and indeed Masahiro sported an angry scowl upon noticing his student's awakening.

"I assume you found my scroll," he said. "If you had merely asked, we could have trained you in the Blood Transfusion Jutsu with a far less... _expensive_ blood sample. It took me two years to gather that Uchiha sample! _Two years!_"

Junichiro lay back and lay an arm over his aching eyes. "Wouldn't have worked, then. Had to be as draining as possible."

The two of them sat in silence for a bit. Then the old man broke out in chuckles. "I will say, it did do the trick. If you hadn't pulled that when you did, you wouldn't have succeeded."

With a sudden movement the trainee-Sage sat up. "You mean I passed after all?" He hadn't been sure whether or not he had drawn enough chakra from Yami to succeed, but pessimistically had assumed the worst.

"You drew out all my chakra, yesssssssssssss, but you mossssssssst cccccccccccertainly did _not_ prove any massssssstery over the technique in quesssssssssstion." Yami the Serpent Sage slid into sight and stared hard at Junichiro. "Why should I let you passsssssss?"

Junichiro dropped his eyes, once more feeling the ache. "No reason, I suppose. I guess I should just go back to practicing the move until I can get it right."

Yami pondered for a moment. "Of courssssssssse, there isssssss more to being a Sssssssnake Ssssssage than ssssssimply masssstering techniquesssssssss. A true Ssssssage ssssssssseeksssssss out knowledge above all elsssssse. You have obvioussssssssly ssssssstudied thissssss ssssscroll long and hard, and have impresssssed me with your love of knowledge." With the tip of his tail Yami took Junichiro's right arm and turned it over. Then the leader of the Serpent Sages pressed his scaly snout to the inside of the trainee-sage's wrist, and when he removed it a sixth hexagon lay alongside the others, the final entry in the spiral wound around Junichiro's right arm.

The boy brought his arm up close to his smarting eyes, staring at the final seal in awe. "I did it," he whispered. "I really did it."

"I will take a week to resssssst," Yami was saying to the grinning Masahiro. "Then we will hold the final tesssssssst." The old man bowed his head and Yami was gone in a puff of smoke.

Masahiro looked wryly upon his student, still enraptured in his arm. "I'd suggest you rest too," he said. "You're going to need it."

"Yes, Masahiro-Sensei."

* * *

One Week Later

* * *

Masahiro and Junichiro stood facing each other under the light of the crescent moon. It was the same clearing in the forest as before, but the tension in the air was so much greater. This was the final test of skill, given not by snake to human but by Sensei to student. Wordlessly the master Sage extended his right arm. He wore the sleeveless garb of the Snake Sages, the six hexagonical seals shining darkly on his muscled arm in the cold light of the moon. His left hand already dripped with blood and he smeared this in a tight spiral, bisecting each seal on his arm and ending with the three-tomoed hexagon on his palm. "Sage Art: Summoning Jutsu!" All six serpents appeared around him, majestic and menacing in the pale light of the night. Yami slid forward, cobra hood spread regally like a majestic cape.

"Are you ready, would-be Sssssssage?" the Serpent Sage of Darkness hissed as he drew near. Junichiro wordlessly nodded, clad in the same sleeveless dark uniform as his sensei.

Each Serpent sage now drew near and rested in a circle around the boy. No, not a circle, he realized. A hexagon...

And then as one each snake struck with lightning speed, sinking in needle-like fangs which seemed so out of proportion with their massive heads and injecting powerful venom into Junichiro's bloodstream. The boy screamed and dropped to his knees, poison coursing through his body like fire. With every beat of his heart the venom coursed further and further into his blood stream, until the entirety of his frame shook with its force.

Gradually the fiery pain died down and even the wounds faded. Junichiro lifted his eyes to meet those of Yami. Now they were black like those of the snake, pure black with three silvery-white glowing tomoe positioned around where his pupil once was. "What is this?"

Masahiro stepped forward. "Sage Art: Kuraigan!" the tomoe on the old man's palm seemed to shimmer for a moment, and then his eyes began to change. The pupils grew larger and larger until they covered the entirety of the eye and three tomoe like those on his palm and in his student's eyes appeared in his own.

"This is the Kuraigan, Junichiro. It is derived from the same principle as the Sharingan you used on Yami during his test. While the Kuraigan is active you can see in the dark, your memory and perception is increased a hundredfold, and you can sense the intentions in the minds of those within the Kuraigan's range. This technique was created long ago so that the Snake Sages could learn every Ninjutsu and Genjutsu in the world. Those you witness, you can understand. Those you understand, you learn. You can even perfectly replicate or imitate a Kekkei Genkai if you have the blood, unlike that cheap imitation you pulled on Yami."

Masahiro raised a hand. Junichiro could make it out perfectly as if it were the light of the sun rather than a thin moon shining upon the wrinkled appendage. "You have five hours to create a technique which can defeat me. After this time I will come after you and if you cannot hold me off until sunrise, you fail. Without an antidote which only exists in my blood that venom will take your vision from you and most likely ruin every other sense and your memory as well. Fail this test and you will never use another technique."

Junichiro stared at the old man in shock. "You never told me of the dangers, Masahiro-Sensei!" he exclaimed angrily. This was perhaps one of five times in his life training to be a Sage the boy had let his true emotions through in such an explosive manner. "How dare you just suddenly tell me this and expect me to just smile and say, 'Yes Sensei!?'"

The old man gave a sad smile. "Junichiro, you are my son. I have never called you such before due to our teacher-student relationship, but nevertheless you were my son from the moment I took you from the orphanage. I wish I could have told you, but this is the way of the Snake Sages. You've taken it this far, and you must continue to the end. That is the way it has always been and the way it will always be. Now remember, five hours."

Suddenly he was gone. Junichiro sat, staring up at the sky with his strange new eyes, feeling betrayed. He had only been taught six techniques in his entire life, and now the Sage expected him to simply make up a new one which could defeat a master?"

"We are here to help you." Junichiro began turning the moment he heard the inhalation of breath, one of the benefits of his heightened senses. All six Serpent Sages faced him, fixing his gaze with their dark stares. "For tonight, we are yoursssssss to command. That issssssssss how it has alwaysssssss been," Yami continued. "Though how you choossssssse to command ussssssss will determine how readily we assssssissssssst you in the future, if at all..."

Junichiro nodded. "Thank you. But how-" Suddenly the six were no longer in the clearing... But six new pools of chakra lay in the seals on Junichiro's right arm. He raised the limb in front of his face, finally understanding. Six pure forms of elemental chakra, just waiting for him to command... And so he sat, assumed a thinking position, and began to plot. The world seemed to slow around the boy but in reality it was his mind which sped up.

Masahiro opened his eyes. Time for the hunt. The old Sage felt reluctance but knew that what would soon come was inevitable. As much as he wanted to believe his student-no, his _son_-would succeed, the truth was, Junichiro was not as much of a prodigy as Masahiro had once thought he was. Yes, the boy had a huge pool of chakra inside him, yes he certainly had a certain amount of natural ability-but in every other aspect the boy was below average. He could remember the hand seals, he could easily understand how each seal released different kinds of chakra and amounts of chakra... But he had a rough time calling out that chakra when necessary, and when he unstopped the flow Junichiro found it hard to pull it back in. And his taijutsu... Though above the level of a normal human, in a fight against even an average Shinobi Junichiro would stand no chance whatsoever.

The old Sage pondered this as he leaped through the forest, back towards the clearing. He wished he could go easy on the boy, but a victory won without hardship is no victory at all. As difficult as the coming fight would be, Masahiro determined to do it right.

And that is when Junichiro struck with the blinding speed and power of a cobra, king of all serpents.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for reading! I'd appreciate a review if you have the time :-} At the end of the chapter is a more in-depth explanation of the Serpent Sages and the Kuraigan.

* * *

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Masahiro instinctively twisted to the side and narrowly dodged the flaming projectile hurled by his student. The ball of flame lit up the surrounding forest for a brief moment before crashing harmlessly into a huge tree. Some embers and sparks flew in every direction, a few of them causing leaves or twigs to smolder for a bit, but for the most part the effects of the fire were momentary and harmless. "He wasn't trying to hurt me," the Sage thought to himself. "He'll have to try in earnest if he wants to succeed."

But when he tried to spring away in search of his target, Masahiro found himself unable to move. His wry smirk froze on his face as he realized what had happened. "The Shadow Void technique."

"Yep." Junichiro's voice came from behind his sensei's back. Masahiro waited for the chakra infusion to begin, but it did not come. "I'm sure you noticed the fire was all light and little heat. Perfect for making shadows."

"You do realize even if you somehow could pull this off you need to display a new technique to pass, right?"

Silence. Still, no change. The technique did not advance but neither did it retreat. Then, Masahiro felt his muscles moving without his command. Junichiro was altering the technique, going beyond entrapment and forcing his captive to walk.

Unseen by his master, the trainee-Sage was sweating and shivering. The Kuraigan allowed him complete insight and understanding of the Shadow Void Jutsu, allowing him to see how it could be altered to control his target's motions. But it was still unfamiliar and strained his mind greatly. Junichiro did not speak for fear Masahiro would hear his voice waver and realize how close the boy was to releasing the technique.

It took ten long minutes for Junichiro to lead his captive through the edge of forest into the clearing, and three more to force the old man into the center of the field. Masahiro looked with alarm at the binding seal inscribed there, a large circle with a very rough single four-symbols seal around it. He relaxed when he saw the imperfections in the design. Something like that would only hold a Sage of his level for a few minutes at most...

When Masahiro was standing on the seal Junichiro released the Shadow Void and in the same movement bent down and activated the seal. "Sealing Art: Movement Binding Jutsu!" Another trick learned from his sensei's scroll.

Masahiro laughed at the boy. "Nice work with making that shadow technique but you need more practice with your seals. You can't expect to just hold me like this until I say you passed..." his voice trailed off. Junichiro had rolled back his right sleeve and the tomoes in his eyes seemed to gleam brightly in the moonlight.

"Sage Art..." The seals on the boy's arm began to shimmer and swirl mesmerizingly and the skin appeared to bubble or ripple. Junichiro put himself in a solid stance and braced his right arm with his left, hand open and pointing at his entrapped sensei. "One Thousand Fangs Jutsu!"

A storm of needle-like projectiles ripped from the boy's arm and sped at terrifying speed towards the old man, tearing and stabbing and spreading their biting venom throughout the Sensei's body. Masahiro gritted his teeth against the pain but the scream of his student rang in his ears. "The technique must be almost as painful for the user as the target," the Sage thought vaguely before he passed out. The six different venoms coursing through his body were taking their toll. "He did it..." was Masahiro's last thought before unconsciousness claimed him.

* * *

I know what you're thinking, "Oh, I suppose now there's "darkness" chakra or something stupid like that. Real original." No, actually. Yes, the first five seals correspond with the five elements of Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, and Water, but the sixth doesn't have to do with chakra. The path of the Sage is the search for... Knowledge. The Serpent Sages were once ordinary snakes who became Sages among their own kind. There are many who studied various elements; the Serpent Sages "bound" to Masahiro are not the only ones in existence. Yami is one of the few who mastered all six paths and so was able to follow the path of Wisdom. When a trainee Snake Sage gains the approval of a Serpent Sage the beast will seal a portion of the snake's chakra and natural energy (AKA Sage Chakra) inside the human, thus increasing the human's power over time. When all five elemental seals are in place a Serpent Sage of Wisdom will give his own test and if the human succeeds, the seal of Knowledge will be put in place, allowing the Kuraigan to be initiated.

The Kuraigan is closer to "Sage Mode" than Kekkei Genkai like the Byakugan. The chakra and natural energy in all six of the user's seals are released throughout the body, dramatically increasing the physical prowess. The sixth seal manifests through the eyes, giving it an appearance similar to the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan. The user can sense the intentions of those around him and his mental capacities are dramatically improved, giving the user an insight into the techniques he witnesses. This is not the same as the Sharingan in which the user can simply copy hand signs and chakra release to learn a technique. Up until one of the first Snake Sages witnessed the Sharingan in a battle, the Kuraigan was simply a weak form of Sage Mode which could be used with a cheaper cost than the real thing. After this battle, however, the Snake Sage implemented new elements into the technique until it reached its present form. For the Kuraigan to be initiated for the first time, the user must have been given all six Snake Sage Seals and must have the venom of the Serpent Sages in his system so that the proper bodily modification can take place. After that has happened, the use can simply activate all six seals (and the new Kuraigan Seal on the palm) at once to enter Kuraigan mode.


	5. Chapter 5

Now that we have introduced Junichiro we can meet another of the characters. Meet Tadayoshi, youngest of the Chiba clan, Shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Sand. Thanks for reading! Reviews would be appreciated.

* * *

"To Only Daughter of the Third Branch is left Tanken, heirloom of the Chiba." Tadayoshi grinned in pride. His older sister had been chosen by their late uncle to receive of the greatest treasure of the family. Of all the members of the six branch families of the honorable Chiba, crafty and cunning warriors of the Village Hidden in the Sand, his older sister had been chosen!

Miharu Chiba stepped forward and bowed deeply. Her long crimson hair was tied back and draped down her dark, sandy-colored ceremonial coat. The sand crunched beneath her boots and swirled up in little puffs around the girl. Ever since her own father had died ten years before, Miharu had raised her younger brother Tadayoshi and trained him in the ways of the Chiba clan. Now the girl was twenty three, a tall and proud warrior who had completed more missions than any other member of the clan.

"I thank you," Miharu said formally as she accepted the sheathed tanto knife. She returned to her place beside her sixteen-year-old younger brother, returning his grin with a tight smile. The two returned their attention to the speaker.

"To Eldest Son of the Fourth branch is left..."

But Tadayoshi was not paying attention. He had caught the looks of anger, outrage, and disappointment many of the members of the other families were directing at his sister. Miharu gave him a quick hug and smile, wordlessly telling her little brother not to worry about it. Tadayoshi smiled back and turned back to the speaker.

"...Seven plates of fine china and three pounds of imported green tea. To Second Eldest Daughter..."

* * *

"Wow, Sis!" Tadayoshi turned the knife around in his hands, awed by its fine beauty. The sheath and handle were crafted of petrified beech, the symbol of the Chiba family. The knife was exactly fifteen inches from the tip of the blade to the end of the handle, and aside from the kanji for _stone _and _wood_ inscribed into the surface of the sheath, no decoration adorned it. "You really are the best. I guess this proves it."

Miharu snatched it away from him. "Careful! You know the law. Only the bearer may touch Tanken." She looked furtively around, worried.

Her little brother laughed. "Come on, nobody's around." He looked admiringly at his sister. "Still, you were chosen. That makes our family pretty important now, huh?"

"I guess. Not that anyone's going to care. They'll probably just hate us even more now."

"Why do they hate _us_ because of what Mom did?" Tadayoshi sighed and flopped back on his bed. "Why can't people just be nice?"

Miharu put down the knife and sat on the bed beside him. "People just don't understand. Honor is a big thing for a ninja clan, especially one so big as the Chiba. One dishonorable member spreads to a whole family, and one dishonorable family spreads to the whole clan."

"That doesn't make any sense."

Miharu rubbed her brother's stubbly brown hair and laughed. "Too bad the rest of the clan doesn't agree." She stood up. "I'm getting hungry. What do you want for dinner?"

Before Tadayoshi could answer there was a knock at the door. Miharu answered it and conversed with the messenger in low tones for a few minutes. Tadayoshi looked curiously on but couldn't make out what they were saying. Finally the messenger departed and Miharu turned back. Calmly she picked up Tanken from the table and inserted it into her sash, and then tied her Sand Willage headband around her forehead. "You're going to have to fix dinner on your own tonight, little bro. Lord Kazekage needs me to investigate some intruder who's been spotted."

"At night?" Tadayoshi peered out the window at the darkness covering the desert village.

A quick smile flitted across his sister's lips and then vanished, replaced with a more serious expression. "Intruders don't care what time of day it is, you know. See ya."

"Be careful!" the boy called out, but his sister had already left. He sat back on his bed again, worried.

* * *

As swiftly and silently as a spider Miharu sped along the outskirts of the village and towards a group of canyons where some Chunin returning from a mission had reported an unfamiliar figure lurking around. She stopped as she reached the edge of one of the canyons, crouching down low to the ground and listening intently. A steady scritch, scritch sound met her keen ears, and the Kunoichi slowly began to edge towards the sound.

Soon she came upon a huge scattering of clumpy sand. Part of the wall of the canyon had been dug away; the sand had not fully formed into stone and so had pulled apart easily under the efforts of the figure now standing in front of the rift. The stone underneath was a different color than that of the surrounding canyon face, as if the sand had been accumulating over the wall of a much older stone face for years.

"Sage Art: Wind-Bound Seal Release." A sudden and sharp cracking filled the air and Miharu felt a strange chill down her spine as the wind began to shift.

Shoving aside her fear the Kunoichi of the Chiba clan leaped down into the canyon behind the figure. "Halt! Identify yourself and state your purpose. This land belongs to the Village Hidden in the Sand."

Slowly the figure turned. He had long white hair that spiked up in the back and wore a mottled green and grey cloak with a hexagonical insigina on each soldier. He was not a tall man but very thin and sickly-looking. His silver eyes glared out shiftily from under thin eyebrows and the same hexagon adorned his forehead protector. "This does not concern you, Sand-Kunoichi. Go back now and pretend you didn't find me, and I will let you live."

Miharu smirked. "An idle threat, nothing more. Come quietly, or do I need to make you?"

The intruder stood his ground. The cracking continued. "Who do I have the honor of addressing?"

"My name is Miharu of the Chiba clan. Again, will you come peacefully?"

"I'm Kazuma the Demon Sage, nice to meet you too." He abruptly placed his palm on the surface of the canyon behind him. "Seal Release!"

The cracking grew into a crash and the ground began to shake. The rock wall splintered and cracked, opening a huge rift in the wall, exposing an enormous cavern. A shriek like that of a bird cut into Miharu's ears and she cringed involuntarily. Suddenly Kazuma fell to his knees, groaning and shaking. Miharu tensed, unsure of what was taking place.

Finally the intruder picked himself up. His eyes met those of Miharu, and they now sparkled and glowed cunningly. "I thank you for allowing me time to finish breaking the seal," the self-proclaimed Demon Sage chuckled. "Now you can help me again, by assisting as I try out my new abilities."

Miharu drew Tanken from her sash, holding it in a guard position. The blade sung as she drew it against the stony sheath, filling the canyon with its reverberation. "Last chance," she warned. "Give up or I'll have to make you."

Kazuma smiled, revealing sharp and jagged teeth. "Demon Art: Daitengu Release." His arms and legs elongated, ending in talons rather than nails. His nose widened and lengthened, merging with his mouth into a ferocious beak. His long white hair reddened and became graceful feathers. Within seconds Miharu stared into the furious eyes of a man-shrike, some foul demon from beyond the mortal world.

She tightened her grip on Tanken and held it high in the air. "Chiba Clan Kekkei Genkai: Thousand Tanken Army!"

* * *

Tadayoshi had long since eaten a meal of boiled beans and rice, and now sat on his bed staring out the window. He worried about his sister. The Kazekage would not have called his sister for something as mundane as an intruder who wasn't even in the village. There had to have been something sinister and dangerous about the mission which required her special skill. The boy tried to push the matter out of his head but simply couldn't take his mind off it.

Finally he sighed and gave in. It only took a few minutes to strap on his tools and wrap the traditional sandy Chiba cloak around his body, and then he set off following the faint traces his sister had left and which only a ninja could follow.

Fifteen minutes later he stood at the mouth of the canyon outside the Hidden Sand Village, staring in shock at the scene before him.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! It was much more fun to write than the last few have been :P


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks for reading! Reviews would be appreciated ^_^ At the end of the chapter will be an author note explaining the Thousand Tanken Army, as I don't want to bore you with it right now.

* * *

Tadayoshi stared in shock at the scene before him. He had of course heard of such a thing, but never in his life actually seen it. Hundreds of copies of his sister leaped and dodged and slashed at... What was it? Whatever the creature was, it tore at the copies of Miharu with an insane blood thirst, dispatching all it could sink its talons or beak into. The boy squinted, looking closely. Each time a copy would die it would collapse into a pile of sand. "Clones?" The boy stared down the canyon in disbelief. There had to be over five hundred clones remaining. Nobody else in the village could summon more than ten at a time, and yet somehow his sister had filled the canyon below with hundreds of copies of herself, each as light-footed and quick-witted as herself. Who knew how long the battle had been going on, or how many clones there were to begin with?

But the fight was certainly taking its toll upon the bizarre creature with the bird-like features. Gashes and cuts covered its body, and black blood spattered the ground around it. Yet it appeared that the wounds were swiftly healing, mere moments after they were given. Each stroke of the mighty Tanken split skin and flesh, but every passing second knitted that flesh back together.

The soul-reaving cry of a bird of prey rang out through the darkness of the desert, as dozen upon dozen of the sand clones fell under the frenzied onslaught of the bird-man. But as the numbers dwindled, that cry shifted from triumph to anger. As the number of clones waned, their individual strength waxed. By the time a mere twenty remained the clones seemed to flicker rather than fly, and deep gashes appeared to simply manifest on the human shrike's body. Already his strange once-mottled cloak hung in tatters around his frame, now soaked red with blood.

Finally the abomination seemed to realize it could take no more and fled with the cunning speed of a hawk tailed by a gun-wielding hunter. The clones attempted to follow but were rapidly slowing from their previously inconceivable speed. Within the space of a minute they had all completely slowed and returned to the earth, leaving the original behind, breathing deeply and sinking to her knees.

"Sis!" Tadayoshi flung a wire out, catching it on a boulder, and carefully slid down the canyon face. Once at the bottom he stumbled over to the spot where Miharu lay. "Sis! What happened? You made all those clones! How'd you do that? And what was that guy? Are you hurt?"

"You shouldn't have come." Tadayoshi recoiled at his sister's harsh voice.

"What? I was worried-"

"If you had gotten anywhere near him, you would be dead."

Tadayoshi stomped his foot in annoyance. "Hey, I'm not so stupid I'd get in the way of your fight. Notice I waited until he was _gone_ before I came, just to check and see if you were okay, and you start on like this? Some sister you are."

With some effort Miharu drew herself to her feet and placed a hand on the canyon wall for balance. "We can talk about this later, little brother. I need to get news of this to Lord Kazekage as soon as I can." She took a step and then cringed at the pain.

"Here. Take this." The boy pulled a bag of ration pills from his belt and handed one to his older sister. The Kunoichi accepted the pill and grimaced at the bitter taste as she crunched it between her teeth.

"Thanks. Come on. You were a witness so you'd better report too." Wordlessly they exited the canyon and began their rapid return to the Hidden Sand Village. At the village outskirts the two were met by several other ninja who had heard the sounds of combat echoing through the desert wasteland and were preparing to assist.

"Miharu Chiba, Tadayoshi," one of them said in surprise. "What happened? Is the village under attack? Are either of you injured?"

Tadayoshi began to respond but his sister pushed him to the side. "It's not important right now. I have urgent news for Lord Kazekage."

One of the ninja stepped forward. His name was Sojiro, Second Eldest Son of the First Branch Family of the Chiba Clan, and the Shinobi who had been most outraged at his father's choice to leave the Tanken to such a disgrace. "I see you wear the heirloom at your waist. Did you crush your foe with the might of our family's mighty gift?"

Miharu grunted impatiently. "Yes, I used every trick and tool at my disposal but no, the enemy escaped. Now please, let me pass."

Sojiro Chiba raised one eyebrow. "You had an entire army at your disposal and yet you still failed to take your man? My, the third branch must be even weaker than I once believed. Perhaps the Tanken should be in the hand of someone who could actually use it."

"You shut up!" Tadayoshi glared at the mocking Sojiro with his sardonic smirk and cruel eyes, wishing not for the last time the rest of his clan could simply accept the Third Branch instead of punishing them for a crime they did not commit. "My sister was amazing! I notice Lord Kazekage didn't call _you_, mister 'someone who could actually use it.' This guy was wild! He had big claws and a beak, and he pretty much flew away!"

The Second Son of the First Branch stared, blank and disbelieving, at the young Sand Village Chunin. "He's right, Sojiro." Miharu was speaking again. "We can discuss this _later_, but at the moment I really need to give that news to Lord Kazekage. Let. Me. Pass."

Sojiro gave one last smirk before stepping to the side and gesturing mockingly. "Well go on then, miss high-and-mighty. You report to Lord Kazekage, and I will report to the rest of the Chiba clan. I'm sure they will be most interested to hear of your daring escape. Or was it this bird-man who escaped from your army of a thousand? I forget. Farewell." With that, he was gone.

"Come on, little brother." Soon all three Chiba were out of sight, leaving the few remaining ninja to wonder what they had just seen and heard.

* * *

"I knew there was something strange going on when I heard the report of those Chunin earlier." Lord Kazekage and the Third-Branch Chiba knelt on mats inside the Kazekage's house. A servant poured tea for the three of them, which the exhausted Miharu gratefully accepted. "Apparently he was breaking the stone apart with some kind of bird-like song, and underneath..."

The Kazekage, a young man who had taken his office earlier the same year, sipped his tea before finishing. "The Chunin could only describe it to me. They knew not what it truly was. But from the description, I knew it was an ancient Funjutsu."

"It _was_ a seal."

"Thought so. Start from the beginning. Leave nothing out."

"Yes, Lord Kazekage."

Tadayoshi sat in awed silence as his sister laid out the entire story, from the man's proclaimed identity as a Demon Sage, whatever that meant, to the release of their clan's powerful bloodline art, to Kazuma's flight at the very end. The Kazekage listened with silence equal to and with expression considerably less than that of the younger Chiba. Finally, once the story was finished, he spoke.

"Demon Sage, you say. Hmmmmm. Since Shukaku was finally sealed away out of the reach of mortals so many years ago, there hasn't been any kind of supernatural activity centered around the Village Hidden in the Sand. I cannot even bring to mind a single common legend which might help us here. But that creature released by the man calling himself Kazuma... That does not sound like Shukaku. I will need to study the scrolls for some time. You may go until I have further need of you."

* * *

As the two Chiba exited the Kazekage's house, they were met by three ninja, all members of the First and Second Chiba Branches. "Master Sojiro has summoned you, Maharu. You might as well come too, runt."

"You will address me as Lady Maharu, and my brother by his name."

"We'll see about that. Come."

And they did.

* * *

Ooooookay. I hope the Tadayoshi chapters have been more interesting than the Junichiro ones! Anyway, to the explanation.

Long ago a young warrior named Chiba saved an old monk from drowning, and in return the monk gave his rescuer a lump of metal he said came from the center of the earth. Chiba took the metal to a wise man who discovered the metal was one of the largest sources of chakra he had ever seen-but he also had no idea how to tap into it. Every method the smith tried to utilize the chakra failed.

However, at the request of Chiba, the metal was made into a tanto which the man named Tanken. Determined to discover the truth behind the strange metal, Chiba set out to find the monk again. After ten years during which Chiba endured many hardships and had many adventures, he found the monk once more. Impressed at Chiba's perseverance, the monk told Chiba that the chakra within Tanken could not be used by anyone without divine blessing, for fear its great power would fall into the hands of evil. The monk agreed to bless Chiba and all his descendents, but warned Chiba that his name would be forever connected to bloodshed because of this.

Having come this far, Chiba agreed and took Tanken back to his home, which would one day become the Village Hidden in the Sand. Chiba assisted the First Kazekage in rallying the desert people into one village, and for his heroic efforts was gifted Tanken's petrified stone sheath. To this day the Chiba are an honored and respected clan with much influence in the Hidden Sand Village.

The monk blessed Chiba's family but was too wise to simply allow anyone to tap into Tanken's chakra however they saw fit. In this event anyone who had any Chiba blood in them could theoretically have access to unfathomable chakra and perhaps do great harm. Instead, the monk bade Chiba choose one single technique which would be handed down through the family and only taught to its trusted members, and this technique alone could use Tanken's power.

Chiba chose his signature technique, the Sand Clone Jutsu. Using the power of Tanken, this technique became the Thousand Tanken Army.

The user creates nine hundred and ninety nine sand clones (the sand can be summoned if none is available) which each look exactly like the original and each hold a copy of Tanken. The tanto's power is completely drained and divided equally between the clones and the user (though it will be somewhat less if the sand is summoned rather than gathered) but for every clone destroyed, the chakra in it is distributed to the other clones. Thus for each clone destroyed, the rest get stronger. However, after one hour the chakra abruptly drains away, dissipating all the clones and leaving the user physically exhausted and drained of all chakra, even any they may have started with. It takes forty-eight hours for Tanken to regain its chakra by drawing it from the center of the earth.


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks for reading! Reviews are greatly appreciated.

* * *

Sojiro looked over his steepled fingers at the two members of the Chiba Third Branch. All Chiba were gathered at the clan headquarters for the second time that day, but perhaps _this_ time things would go according to his will. However, the Second Son of the First Branch would need to play his cards very carefully. Nobody particularly liked the Third Branch but most of the members of the Chiba clan did not harbor the same hatred which dwelled within his own heart towards Miharu and Tadayoshi. "So, Lady Miharu." The words were polite, but his tone mocked her. "Word has reached us of your reckless and hasty actions tonight, which cost the village an important mission. You have brought dishonor upon our whole clan."

"Reckless? Hasty?" Miharu spoke firmly and proudly, staring her accuser straight in the eye. "From whose lying mouth do these accusations come? Tadayoshi of the Third Branch was the only witness to the battle."

"You told me yourself upon returning like a beaten dog, or can you not remember that far? You used the family heirloom as eagerly as a child plays with his new toy, even though you have had no training and don't deserve-"

"You question the judgement of your late father and the head of our clan, here, in front of the entire family?"

Sojiro stopped. Careful. "I apologize. I meant, you used our family's sacred technique even though you have had no training. Perhaps my father's judgement was clouded by his grave illness, bestowing the Tanken upon an untrained Kunoichi. What could you hope to gain by using an unfamiliar technique on a target of unknown power?"

Miharu smiled mirthlessly. "I have been trained in the use of Tanken, perhaps more than yourself."

This halted the Second Son in his tracks, and drew a murmur from the rest of those gathered there. Tadayoshi himself knew very little of Tanken or what this training was, but fathomed from the reactions of the Chiba around him that what his sister said was very odd.

The Second Son grinned inwardly. He had the little worm now. "So you freely admit to have learned the heirloom technique, the greatest secret of our clan, though it is not your place? And how long did you think this secret could be kept? Did you think your secret would not be found out tonight? Perhaps we have your young brother to thank-"

"It was Kazunari who taught me to unlock the heirloom."

Now there was silence, even worse than the muttering. Everybody was speechless. Tadayoshi struggled to attach that name to a person. Wait! Wasn't that the name of...

"Elder Brother taught you the technique?" Sojiro's voice shook with anger. He didn't want to believe it. "You _dare_ to throw that name around? Bringing the dead into it, you seek to sully the honor of a man who cannot defend himself... You, of all people!"

"I am not my mother. I cannot help what she did. You have no right to accuse me of lying because _my best friend_ shared his knowledge with me. Your father knew of this, and this is why the Tanken was left for me. Think about it. You know it is true."

"Enough!" Sojiro stood and pointed furiously at Miharu. Tadayoshi took an involuntary step back, afraid of this raging figure. Several of the gathered Chiba began to murmur. "Your traitorous mother was the one who took Elder Brother from us ten years ago. She rubbed mud on your whole branch's name! Yet you claim friendship with Elder Brother? Madness! Most likely you used him in order-"

Miharu suddenly stepped forward twice and drew Tanken, the blade singing as it exited the sheathe. "You have just crossed the line, Second Son. Kazunari aspired to be just half the man your father was, but you will never be even fit to lick your dead brother's feet. Nobody mourned Kazu's passing more than I did. You weren't even in the land, _prodigal son_. Yet you stand here before the whole clan and accuse me of using my _best friend._ You are scum."

At her words a commotion began. Chiba began speaking among themselves hurriedly but were too fearful of these raging warriors to step in. Tadayoshi's face had grown pale, and he too hung back.

Sojiro looked on in disbelief. "You see it, brothers and sisters! The traitorous witch threatens me with the family heirloom, that which is rightfully-"

She snapped. Miharu gave the Second Son no time to finish his sentence but struck furiously out, slashing three times across his chest. She cut shallowly on purpose, drawing blood and causing much pain, but not enough to do any serious damage. "Shut your sniveling mouth and fight like a Shinobi, you weasel's puppy."

Sojiro yelped and drew his arms to his chest, cringing at the blood welling up there. "Traitor! Seize her, my brothers and-"

Calmly Miharu drove one foot into the conniving man's face, breaking the nose and cutting a deep gash in the cheek. She stood over him, raising the Tanken up high. All around her the family members sprang to save Sojiro's life, but they wouldn't get there in time. "I gave you a chance to fight like a man," she whispered as the blade came down. "Now you will die like the coward you are."

"No!" There was one who was close enough. Tadayoshi. The boy had grabbed his sister's wrist with both hands, and the sharp edge of Tanken had bitten deep into his arm. The boy still held on, restraining his bloodthirsty sister's arm from descending into murder. "Sis, stop! You're not yourself!"

Miharu turned her head slowly to look at her brother. "You too, little brother? Maybe mother was right. Shinobi are all worthless. She killed father and... And Kazunari, before she could be stopped, but I see now she was right. Only we Kunoichi can get anything done properly." She relaxed her straining muscles and Tadayoshi fearfully let go. The Chunin was puzzled; what on earth was his sister saying?

"Sis? What's going on?"

The rest of the Chiba had stopped, unwilling to go further unarmed as they were. Many of them had seen something like this before, ten years ago, when the Only Daughter of the Third Branch had caught her husband cheating on her, and had slaughtered the man and another before she herself could be stopped. The woman had raved about the faithlessness of all Shinobi, the male ninja of the village, until a well-placed kunai knife silenced her forever. Those who hadn't been there, had heard the story. All except Tadayoshi-he had been sheltered from the story that he may grow up without hating his own mother. Instead his sister had told him their mother had run away because of the grief she felt at her husband's death in a dangerous mission.

"Don't call me Sis again. You are dead to me, bro-Tadayoshi." Miharu slowly turned in the doorway, framed by the moonlight, eyes blazing with the light of insanity. "Farewell." And with that, she was gone.

* * *

The Kazekage sat alone, reflecting on the enigmatic story of the Demon Sage, and listening to the agonized screams of a heartbroken boy. They seemed to ring out shrilly over the whole desert, as if the wind itself were mourning.


	8. Chapter 8

Hello everybody! Thanks for reading thus far. Reviews are greatly appreciated. It only takes a few moments, and it helps me make a better story. Thanks again; I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations!

* * *

Tadayoshi awoke to a knock on his door. Sleepily the Chunin pulled the door open, rubbing his eyes with one hand. Before him stood a messenger ninja, the same one who had come for his sister the night before.

"Lord Kazekage has summoned you."

The Chiba boy yawned and blinked in the bright light streaming in through the door. "Me?"

"Yes. Our ANBU are already on Lady Miharu's trail, but Lord Kazekage needs to address the matter of yesterday's intruder immediately. You were the only other witness, so you must come."

Tadayoshi dressed slowly and pondered the events of the previous day. It felt like a bad dream, but he knew it had really happened. Finally the last lace was tied and the last wrap of his belt was tightened and he returned to the front door, ready to meet the Kazekage.

* * *

"I give my condolences. Hopefully your sister will come to her senses quickly. I know very well the relationship between the Third Branch and the rest of the Chiba, and can completely understand how she was provoked. Sojiro is still alive, so if your sister is willing to return peacefully she will get off lightly."

The Chiba boy looked up hopefully at the sandy-cloaked leader of the village. "Really, Lord Kazekage?" Maybe Miharu would listen to sense, maybe things could just get back to the way they were... Except now that Sojiro would know better and leave them alone. Yeah right. Things could never be the same, even on the off chance his sister decided to return, which the boy knew she wouldn't. "So, what's this about a mission?"

The Kazekage removed a scroll from his belt and laid it in front of him. "I spent all of last night reading the scrolls of lore written by the Sand Village Elders throughout the years."

Tadayoshi picked up the sealed document in front of him and examined it. "What did the Elders' scrolls say, Lord Kazekage?"

The young village leader told him. Tadayoshi's good mood vanished. "So you see," the leader told the boy, "You must travel to the Land of Fire and give this message to the Hokage. This is an urgent mission, but not very dangerous. You will go alone."

"Yes, Lord Kazekage." Tadayoshi bowed and took the scroll, but hesitated before leaving. "Actually, there was something I wanted to address. I wish to leave the Chiba Clan. Can we fill out a release document while I'm here?"

* * *

Tadayoshi No-Clan set out confidently along the desert road leading to the Land of Fire. Today was a new day, and things would be different from now on. As the sun rose high behind him, his spirit lifted too.

* * *

Junichiro unwrapped the bandages from his right arm. Tiny scars dotted the skin like chicken pox, but even these were healing with the aid of the six seals which had marked their territory long before the wounds had. "Almost all better, Sensei."

Masahiro, much better after a few days of cleansing meditation, bent down to examine the arm. "Yes, very good. I am still amazed by the mechanics of the technique. Instead of manifesting out of the seals, the needles came from within your own body..." The elder Sage shook his head. "It certainly did the trick, though."

The new Sage flexed his arm, wiggling the fingers and sighing at the relief of having his limb free. His sensei continued. "Sometime soon we will go and you will meet some young Serpent Sages and find a set who you can be team mates with. Until now, my companions will aid you." He grinned. "You'll need their help more than I."

Junichiro glanced at his sensei curiously. "Why?"

"As a new Sage, you need to report to the Sage Council and take up a mission. Even if I have passed you, the Serpent Sages have passed you, and the Kuraigan burns deep within your soul, the Council still wishes to see for themselves the prowess of all who join their ranks."

An anxious look went across Junichiro's features. "You know, I've hardly left this place for years..."

Masahiro laughed. "Just another reason for you to get out! Here, read up in this travel book." He handed his disciple a document labeled _Major Highways and Eating Establishments Across the Land of the Shinobi_. "That should help you out. Get that arm healed up in the next few days and then we're going to be off. I'll call one of my former students to manage the blood bank while I'm gone."

Junichiro glanced at his sensei. "You had other students? You never mentioned them the entire time I've been here... And they've never visited."

"Oh, none of them ever lived with me like you have. I was more of a supplementary teacher." The Sage laughed. "Okay, I'll be blunt-not one of them lasted more than a few months. Though many of them got to be very handy at the blood bank business." He rose. "Speaking of blood..." Masahiro left the room and soon returned with a cloth-wrapped bundle.

Junichiro unwrapped the cloth and found in it a leather framework gauntlet. After examining it for a moment he noticed its function and slid the device over his left arm, last half of each finger free. The leather criss-crossed over the whole length of Junichiro's arm, numerous leather loops covering its surface. "What's this for?"

Mashahiro produced an empty bottle like the ones he used for blood and slid it snugly into one of the tiny loops. "These bottles are glass but I have a set which are unbreakable and specially infused with chakra so the blood does not spoil. When this gauntlet is filled you will have a selection of blood to use at your discretion on your mission. In addition it's a pretty decent piece of armor."

The boy flexed his arm and spun it through the air, pleased at the feel of the leather gauntlet. "Thanks, Sensei. This will come in very handy. Hopefully I won't need to use it, though." Masahiro laughed at this and left the room to prepare dinner.


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks for reading! Reviews are greatly appreciated.

* * *

The trip to the Village Hidden in the Leaves had been an uneventful one. No rogue ninja had appeared, no thieves had stolen the scroll, no little girls had asked Tadayoshi to save their town. And now here the clanless Chunin stood at the giant wooden gates leading into the village, confident and ready to complete his mission. As he entered the village and strode through the streets (according to the map Lord Kazekage had given him) Tadayoshi drew stares from the villagers who saw him, curious as to the identity of this stranger. Before two minutes had passed a tall ninja appeared in front of the Sand ninja.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" The tall ninja crossed his arms seriously.

"I'm Tadayoshi of the Village Hidden in the Sand. I have a message for the Hokage from Lord Kazekage." He brandished the scroll with the distinct seal imprinted upon it. His questioner nodded his head.

"All right then, follow me. I'll take you to Lord Hokage." Tadayoshi followed the ninja as they went through the village. There were fewer stares now that the visitor had an escort, but the most curious still gave an occasional glance.

Suddenly a voice rang out in the morning air. "Hey! Who're you?" Tadayoshi turned and beheld a boy about his own age. His blond flat top poked out from an old Leaf Village headband, dull purple eyes staring impudently into the Sand Chunin's own. He wore a dark blue jumpsuit with the traditional green Leaf flak jacket over it, with a single spiral logo on each shoulder.

"Honorable Son, this is a messenger for your father." Tadayoshi glanced over in surprise and saw his guide bowing his head respectfully to the blond-haired boy.

The Sand Chunin gestured to the boy. "Honorable Son? This kid's the Hokage's boy?"

"Watch yer mouth!" The Honorable Son hopped down from the fence where he was sitting and stood facing Tadayoshi, hands crossed defiantly. "I'm next in line for Hokage so be careful how you talk!"

"I'm sorry, Honorable Son, he meant no disrespect."

Tadayoshi edged away in disgust. "Hey, I can speak for myself." He turned to the boy. "My name is Tadayoshi. Who are you? And you want to be Hokage?"

Now the boy's guide was dragging him away. "Please excuse the Honorable Son," he murmured in his guest's ear. "He can be a bit rude at times."

"And your Hokage lets him act like this?"

"Lord Hokage is too often busy with other matters. But no, he does not encourage it." Tadayoshi shrugged at this and continued walking. He would need to remind himself later to do something about that punk.

* * *

"Lord Hokage, the Kazekage has sent a messenger with an important piece of information." Tadayoshi bowed and held out the sealed scroll. Then he glanced up, taking in the sight of the Hokage. He was a tall man wearing the traditional Kage garb, similar to that of his own Kazekage. He was older than the Kazekage, but not by too much. The wide-brimmed hat lay to the side, exposing a full head of blond hair which fell to his shoulders. His eyes were the same dull purple as those of his son.

"All right, thank you. Kono, please arrange a house for our guest to stay in until I have a reply." He turned in dismissal, but Tadayoshi stepped forward.

"Hokage, I'm sorry, but your son was very rude on my way here. I think you need to teach him some manners." For a moment, there was a heavy tension in the room. Then, the Hokage burst out laughing. Kono, the guide, looked relieved.

"Oh dear, I am really sorry about that. Yes, Shinichi really can be a nuisance. He's in line for Hokage so the villagers have almost started treating him like one. To tell you the truth, he kind of thinks he is one already. Don't pay too much attention." He turned away again, finality in his voice. Tadayoshi was still puzzled but he followed Kono out of the Hokage office.

"Here, you will be staying here." Tadayoshi looked around at the small room at the base of the Hokage office. He thanked his guide and flopped down on the bed provided, satisfied with a job well done. After a short nap the boy decided to explore the Leaf Village, as he had never seen it before. After changing into a fresh outfit Tadayoshi slipped his shoes back on and exited the building.

For a while the Sand Chunin merely wandered around, seeing the sights, eating a bowl of noodles from a stand which apparently was famous for being the preferred eating establishment of some old Hokage, examining the unfamiliar trees.

"Hey, it's you again." Tadayoshi turned and beheld the sneering 'Honorable Son.' The boy was leaning against a post, arms and legs both crossed carelessly.

The Sand Chunin glared at this obnoxious interruption. "What are you doing here?"

"It's my home, remember?" The Honorable Son pushed off of the post and stood straight. "So what do you think of the village?" He pulled a wrapped loaf of curry bread from his pocket and tore off and offered half to Tadayoshi. "Here. Sorry about earlier. Guess you shouldn't have been expected to know the Hokage's my dad."

Rolling his eyes, Tadayoshi took the bread slowly and took a bite. It was very good bread. "Thanks. The village is nice... Very cool in the shade here."

"Yup." They ate in silence for a bit. Finally the Sand Chunin turned to his visitor. "Errrr... Shi..."

"Shinichi."

"Yeah, Shinichi. You said you're next in line for Hokage? I thought Kage are chosen by their skill. No offense, but how could you tell how powerful someone is at your age?"

The Leaf ninja laughed. "Well, my great great grandpa was a really famous Hokage, and his kid, my great grandpa, was also an awesome Hokage. Great Grandpa figured we must have something in the blood or whatever, but he made a law saying all first born Uzimaki would be trained their whole life for the job and then become Hokage. So, here I am. I even passed a special Chunin exam instead of the normal one."

Tadayoshi pondered this. That would explain why he hadn't seen Shinichi at the exam _he_ had passed. "But what if there was someone more suited for the job?"

Shinichi laughed. "I guess that would be too bad. But like I said, we study our whole lives all the laws and stuff, as well as special techniques and stuff." He looked around. "Hey, I'm really not supposed to show this to outsiders, but do ya wanna see my awesome moves? You look like you'd be fun to spar; nobody around here goes hard cause they think I'll get hurt."

"Sure." Tadayoshi grinned. Finally. something to do. "I promise I won't go easy." He stretched. "So, where are we going to do this?"

"I know just the place. Follow me."

* * *

The wind swept the long grass of the clearing, gently waving it like a green sea surrounded by sky-scraping wooded mountains. Two Chunin faced each other confidently across this natural battlefield-one dressed in the sandy brown garb of his clan, the other wearing the traditional garb of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

"Are you sure you're ready for this, Shinichi?" Tadayoshi called out to his opponent over the field.

"I just hope _you're _ready!" Shinichi leaped forward, hurling three kunai in front of him. His opponent swiftly whipped out a coil of wire from his belt, slinging it outwards and snatching each of the knives from the air. When Tadayoshi looked back up, Shinichi was gone.

The Sand Chunin swiftly turned his gaze all around, but his opponent was nowhere to be seen. "All right, then," he said to himself. "These trees will come in handy." Pulling more coils of thin wire from his belt, Tadayoshi leaped into one of the trees lining the clearing and sprung into the forest. He trailed the wire behind him, two coils in each hand, trailing wire behind him like a spider descending along a thread of web.

* * *

Shinichi Uzumaki reappeared in the clearing after Tadayoshi had left, looking puzzled as he beheld his opponent leaping through the forest. Was he running away? Or did he really think Shinichi had gone that way? Grinning, Shinichi leaped after the retreating ninja, stealthily following so as not to give himself away. He put his two hands together, starting to spin a ball of chakra between them.

* * *

Tadayoshi flicked the wire out between his fingers, carefully placing them just where he wanted them. He was in a dead end now: There was nowhere to run. His clothing was not very well suited for hiding in the forest, but there wasn't anything to be done. The Sand Chunin glanced around a bit, looking for another option, knowing his opponent would soon be upon him. And then came the cry from behind:

"Rasengan!"

He flicked his fingers towards him, and the wires tightened into a near-invisible web of steel. With a crash, the bright ball of spiraling energy came into contact with the wire.


	10. Chapter 10

Hello everyone! Thanks for reading. Reviews are appreciated.

* * *

The Rasengan sparked and fizzled as it bit into the wire. Shinichi ground his teeth. This wasn't supposed to happen. The Rasengan should either burn through this wire with all the friction it caused, or at least twist up the wire until it broke. But instead, it was as if the wire were cutting the spiraling ball of chakra. Shinichi strained harder and pressed harder with the Rasengan. He grabbed ahold of the web and stood on the wire, straining with his right hand at the wires.

That's when he realized his chakra was draining away.

With a shout the Leaf Chunin leaped away, Rasengan fading away as he furtively searched around for his opponent. He hadn't been in contact with the wires for too long, but even so an alarming amount of chakra had been siphoned off. He glanced down at the spot where he had cornered Tadayoshi, but the wires were now tied to branches and the Sand ninja was no where in sight.

* * *

Tadayoshi sat in the branches of one of the massive trees. His coat was folded up and buried under some leaves, leaving the Chunin's dark shirt and pants underneath it. He watched as Shinichi tried to locate him. What an interesting technique. The boy had appeared to simply gather chakra into a ball and spin it around. Shinichi had obviously been confident the ball could destroy his wires, but how powerful was it really? Tadayoshi figured it must be pretty powerful if it was part of a future Hokage's special arsenal, and decided to keep his distance.

"Ninja Art: Wire Charming." The coil of wire in his hand began to shiver, and then started to unravel. Tadayoshi flicked one of his fingers and the wire snaked down the tree trunk, keeping to the cracks and crevices of the bark, invisibly and silently creeping towards the unwitting Shinichi.

Suddenly the Leaf Shinobi heard the crackle of a single leaf and leaped high, throwing a storm of shuriken with incredible accuracy at the source of the noise. Tadayoshi frowned and flicked another finger. The wire thrashed like a snake and struck out towards Shinichi, who pinned it to a tree with another shuriken. Tadayoshi jumped as well, yanking out two more coils of wire which he also charmed. The tips quivered and then speared into one of the huge trees, providing a platform for the Chunin to slide along. With another flip of the wrist the wire sprung away and coiled back up in his hands, and Tadayoshi was once more hidden.

* * *

Shinichi was breathing heavily, not from exertion but exhilaration. Finally, here was someone of his level who would actually _fight_! He sat perched in a tree limb, wary of any other wires which might be just waiting to ensnare him if he let his guard down. The Leaf Chunin closed his eyes and breathed deeply, focusing on his next move. This guy was obviously trying to stay out of reach and out of sight, using those wires to attack and drain his chakra. The Rasengan would not work on them, so Shinichi would assume it was useless to try and break the wires at all. So... He would just need to close the distance and get Tadayoshi into melee range. Shinichi assumed his opponent's taijutsu wasn't very strong as he seemed to be focused so much on the chakra-eating wires, but even so the Leaf Chunin would use caution. He noisily jumped down to the forest floor below, making no attempts to mask his movements, and began rifling around, apparently searching for signs of his opponent.

* * *

Tadayoshi watched as his opponent jumped down from the branches of a huge tree. Was this kid really so pampered he didn't even know how to wait out an opponent? Now the Leaf ninja was looking stupidly around as if Tadayoshi were his partner in a game of hide and seek. "Hokage one day, huh? You're going to need to work a bit harder then." The Sand Chunin raised both hands and flicked his index fingers outwards. Two coils of wire sibilantly hissed through the undergrowth as the sped like vipers towards the unsuspecting Shinichi.

* * *

A smile came slowly across Shinichi's face as he caught the faint sound of wires through leaves. He slowly turned towards the sound, still appearing as if he were searching perplexedly into the treeline. There, a bit of grass, there, a leaf... Shinichi suddenly leaped forward, wires pulling taut as they sprang at the spot where he had stood a moment ago. He raced swiftly around tree and boulder towards the spot where he now knew Tadayoshi lay hidden. There, that patch of shadow! "Rasengan!"

Tadayoshi's smirk vanished. This kid was better than he had thought. Of course, wasn't that always the case? Always assume your opponent is better than you, that was one of the fundamental rules of the Village Hidden in the Sand. He quickly released the two wires which were currently searching furtively for the target which had suddenly gone missing, and snatched up one of the lengths he had ready on the ground. The wire spiraled outwards and coiled tightly around Shinichi's outstretched arm, stiffening and arresting the Leaf Chunin's assault. Shinichi strained and pushed at the wire, but it stood as resolute as if the steel were and inch thick rather than nearly invisible. Tadayoshi smiled and stepped a bit closer. He whipped out another wire, binding Shinichi's torso to the tree beside him. Still the arm was outstretched, Rasengan beginning to waver as it lost momentum.

"I'll admit, you almost had me there. Good game."

Tadayoshi smiled. Just close enough. He tightened his fingers and then threw them apart, Rasengan suddenly glowing even more brightly and hurtling from his outstretched palm. The ball struck Tadayoshi in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him and sending the Sand Chunin spiraling backwards into a tree. The wires binding Shinichi relaxed and the Leaf ninja swiftly sprang to his opponent's side, another Rasengan at the ready in case Tadayoshi were faking it.

Slowly the Sand ninja stirred, groaning and rubbing his back. He saw Shinichi standing over him, Rasengan in hand, and slowly raised both arms in defeat. "Nice match. You _did_ have me after all." The Leaf ninja dispersed the glowing ball of chakra and Tadayoshi grinned. "Sorry I thought you were just a spoiled brat. For someone who has never had a halfway serious opponent, you thought pretty quickly back there."

Shinichi helped his new friend up, laughing at the Sand Chunin's words. "Eh, I guess I'll forgive ya then. You didn't do so bad yourself, ya know. That was some cool stuff ya did there with the wire." The two of them started back to the Hidden Leaf Village, talking about various battle strategies and techniques. Neither one had exactly lived a normal childhood, and had found the first non-family-member who didn't hate them or fawn upon them just because of their family.

When Tadayoshi and Shinichi arrived at the Hidden Leaf Village, they were met with a hustle and bustle as ninja ran every which way, searching homes and on top of buildings. The two looked around them in bewilderment until Kono, the guide from earlier, finally spotted them. "The Honorable Son and the guest of Lord Hokage are here!" he called out. "Mission is over!"

Shinichi shot a puzzled glance at Kono. "Eh, what's going on?"

Kono grabbed the two of them and pulled them behind him. "Lord Hokage told us to bring you both. There is urgent business to attend to regarding the message Lord Hokage received from the Kazekage." He suddenly notices the dirt, cuts, and bruises covering each ninja. "What happened? Were you attacked?"

The Honorable Son of the Hokage laughed and scratched his neck. "Eh, no, we were just sparring."

The guide drew back aghast. "Sparring? But Honorable Son, what if he had been an assassin just waiting for..." he suddenly stopped and bowed in Tadayoshi's general direction. "No offense of course, Honorable Guest."

Tadayoshi waved his hand. "None taken, I understand." He took a step forward. "All right, let's go. I wanna see what all this is about."


	11. Chapter 11

Hi everybody! Thanks for reading past ten whole badly-paced chapters. Reviews are greatly appreciated.

* * *

Tadayoshi and Shinichi sat in the meeting hall alongside all the Jonin of the village. The Hokage, regal and serious in his wide-brimmed hat and coat, stood before them all, scroll in hand. "Thank you all for coming," he said formally. "I have a very important message from the Kazekage-" he nodded to Tadayoshi. "Whose messenger is with us today. Said messenger is also involved in all this, as he is the only witness to the event we have contact with. I beg your attention as I read the relevant section of the message."

He cleared his throat and opened the scroll in his hand. After a few moments of scanning the paper, searching for the passage he was looking for, the Hokage began to speak. "Formalities aside, there is a very important matter to which I must draw your attention. You may or may not be aware of a certain myth recorded in the annals of the legendary wandering monk Mokiru concerning the demon lord Akuma.

"This Akuma was once a great prince of the underworld, the saying goes, but was not content with his lot and sought to rule the mortal creatures of earth before their time. Coming to our world, he enlisted the help of several greedy yokai, monsters, and spirits and gifted them with great power. For almost three months Akuma and his generals terrorized the mortal world, bringing darkness and destruction wherever they went.

"But then came those with the will and power to stop the demons. A group of individuals-monks, warriors, sages, they were a varied bunch-used their combined skill, knowledge, power, and wisdom to track these demons down and seal them away one by one. The mighty Akuma could not be sealed away directly, but with the vessels of his power bound out of his reach the demon prince was forced to return to the underworld, now greatly weakened and dishonored by his defeat.

The Hokage paused and took a drink of water from an ornate bowl by his side before continuing. "That was many years ago. However, recently one of my Kunoichi was sent to investigate a stranger who was using a strange Fuunjutsu. This stranger, according to both witnesses, broke a seal which had been hidden beneath a large amount of rock and then absorbed whatever had been sealed into his own body, manifesting incredible speed, stamina, strength, and regenerative abilities.

"I did a good deal of research until I had put together a plausible amount of information. It appears the stranger, a man calling himself Kazuma the "Demon Sage," released one of Akuma's generals, a spirit named Daitengu. I have reason to believe Kazuma, and perhaps others, seek to release all of Akuma's generals and possibly the demon prince himself. As Hokage, you hold a considerably larger amount of influence than I, and if you call the Great Kage Council, all will attend."

He lowered the paper. "This is the message. What do you advise, my Jonin?" He slowly sat, and took another drink from the water at his side.

For a bit, nobody spoke. They simply sat, thinking about what they had just heard. The Kazekage was a trusted ally of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and they were sure he wasn't simply making all this up. But what if he had been mistaken? What if this Kazuma were simply some kind of crazy Rogue Ninja was extraordinary abilities?

But on the other hand, if all this were true and they just ignored it...

"Whoa, you really saw this guy?" Shinichi whispered to his friend.

"Not the whole thing, but I saw him fight. It was the scariest thing I've ever seen," Tadayoshi whispered back.

"All right then." Shinichi stood up. "Dad-I mean, Lord Hokage. I vote we call the Kage Council. If Tadayoshi-if the messenger of the Kazekage says he saw this, I have no reason to disbelieve him."

The Hokage smiled. "I wish to remind the Honorable Son that he is not Hokage yet. I wish to further remind him that he is in here to get used to the working of Hidden Leaf politics, but that he has no say in the matter."

Shinichi slowly sat back down, disappointed. "Oh well," he whispered.

But now Kono was standing. "My advice, Lord Hokage, is that we cannot afford to risk the re-release of Akuma. I heard stories of him as a young boy, and of the terrible destruction he caused. We cannot allow him to return to the mortal world, Lord Hokage!"

Several other Jonin muttered their agreement. However, a Kunoichi with short white hair stood beside Kono and shook her head.

"I must offer the opposite council, Lord Hokage. Are we to call the Kage Council for a matter which may or may not even be important? This report is vague at best. There are other explanations for the events which took place in the Hidden Sand Village, none of which warrant calling together all the Kage."

The Hokage nodded slowly. "Does anyone else have any council to offer different than that which has already been given?" Silence. "All right then, you are dismissed. I will call you all again when I have reached a decision." He stood, waved in dismissal, and then returned to his desk.

* * *

Shinichi and Tadayoshi were eating noodles at the famous shop again when Kono arrived and sat down beside them. "One bowl of pork ramen, please," he told the shop owner. Then he turned to Tadayoshi. "I see you are getting along well with the Honorable Son, Guest."

The Sand Chunnin nodded, mouth too full to speak. When he had swallowed his bite, he addressed the Jonin. "Yeah, I'm sure he'll make a great Hokage."

Shinichi laughed. "I hope so," he said as he poured more sauce into his bowl.

Kono tapped the counter as he waited for his food. "So, you were a witness to the event?"

"Yeah. Like I told Shinichi, I didn't get there in time to see the beginning of the fight. I had been following my sister, and saw her fighting that guy. He had claws and feathers and was moving really, really fast."

Shinichi picked up his head from the bowl. He hadn't heard this detail before. "Your sister was the other witness? Why didn't she come too? You know, since she saw the whole thing?"

Tadayoshi's face darkened. "Right before I left, she... Went Rogue."

The three lapsed into silence. Shinichi patted his friend on the back comfortingly. "Hey, maybe she'll come to her senses, ya know?"

Tadayoshi shrugged. "It wasn't her fault, really. Our clan provoked her and it made her go crazy. Like what happened to my mother."

"Oh yeah? How long did it take your mom to get better?"

"They killed her." Tadayoshi shrugged. "I disowned my clan just before taking this mission. They always hated my sister and I for what my mother did, and when my sister inherited our clan's heirloom ahead of the First Son of the First Branch, they started doing everything they could to provoke her." He sighed. "I... Really just want to forget it. Can we stop talking about it?"

Kono gave the Sand ninja a small smile. "It's fine. Forget we brought it up." The three finished their meal in silence.

* * *

Several hours later the Hokage called together his ninja once more. When they were all settled down, he began to speak. "Based on the evidence, my council, and a bit of my own research on the subject, I have decided to call the Kage Council. However, there is no time to find a neutral meeting ground and so we will meet in the Hidden Leaf Village. Kono, you will send a message to the Mizukage. Enbeiko, you will inform the Raikage. Uma, send a message to the Tsuchikage."

The ninja in question dispersed, and the rest of the Jonin left, leaving Tadayoshi and Shinichi in the room with the Hokage. They were about to leave as well but the Hokage raised one hand. "Hey, Shinichi, I want you to accompany our guest back to the Hidden Sand Village and inform the Kazekage, okay?"

Shinichi grinned. "All right, a mission! Thanks Dad-er, Lord Hokage."

The Hokage laughed. "When it's just us, Dad's fine. Now off you go." Half an hour later the two Chunin were on the road to the Village Hidden in the Sand.

"Aahhhh, listen to the birds!" Shinichi sighed.

"There are birds in the Hidden Leaf Village."

"But these are desert birds."

"The forest birds are prettier."

"Well..."

"And they sound nicer, too."

Shinichi glared at his traveling partner. "Oh come on. I'm just trying to enjoy the day here."

Tadayoshi shrugged. "I'm just trying to be realistic."

"Whatever."

* * *

The next morning Yuuta Chiba, 15-year-old younger brother of Sojiro, was sitting around near the village gate with some of his friends trying to think of a way to cause trouble. "Hey, why don't we tie knots in all the puppet strings in the warehouse?" one of his cronies suggested.

"They're chakra, you idiot."

"Oh."

Yuuta suddenly perked his ears up. There were voices drifting down the road. "Hey, hear that?"

"...Just over here, only a few more..."

"...So tired, why'd we have to get up..."

"...Hokage if you can't get up early..."

The young Chiba boy gave an evil grin to his companions. "It's that loser Tadyoshi. I thought he'd run away like that traitor sister of his. And there's some other kid with him, too." The other three giggled stupidly.

* * *

"Ah, back home." Tadayoshi swept his gaze over the entrance to the village. "Can't really say I have a lot of friends, but it's still home."

Shinichi yawned. "Finally. We've been walking for _hours_." His face brightened. "Hey, what kind of food can we get for breakfast?"

"Probably some melon bread and cactus..." Suddenly Tadayoshi gave a groan. "Oh, great, Yuuta and his idiot friends."

"Yuuta? Is he a friend of yours?"

"He's my cousin... Or at least, used to be. And he's still one of the biggest jerks in the village."

The Chiba boy stood with his arms crossed at the entrance to the village, surrounded by his giggling and sneering friends.

"Hey there, Tadayoshi. Who's the kid here?"

Shinichi stepped forward, waving. "Hey, I'm Shinichi Uzimaki. How's it..."

"Shut up, Leaf punk. Wasn't talking to you." Shinichi suddenly froze. Nobody had _ever_ talked to him this way before. Yuuta spoke again. "You know this guy's a worthless traitor, doncha?"

Tadayoshi stepped in between them. "Look, Yuuta, we don't want any trouble. Shinichi is the Hokage's son, so watch how you talk to him. We're just giving a message to Lord Hokage and then we're going."

Yuuta spat into the sand. "Hokage's kid, huh? Looks pretty wimpy to me. Are all the Hokage wimpy brats, Uziwhatever?"

Shinichi pushed Tadayoshi aside. "You take that back. My dad's the greatest Hokage who's ever lived, and I might not be much now but I can still kick your butt!"

"Hey, Shinichi, it's not worth it." Tadayoshi tried to pull his friend away but the Leaf Chunin shook his hand off. "This' a mission, remember? I'm authorized to use force to clear any obstructions. And this' sure an obstruction."

The Chiba boy's friends started laughing. Yuuta sneered. "Oooh, the Hokage's brat's on a mission as a little messenger boy. What you gonna do to me, tell Daddy to beat me up?"

Tadayoshi sighed. Whatever happened now was Yuuta's fault. "I'd say sorry," he told his former cousin mildly, "but to be honest I'm really going to enjoy seeing you get beat up."

Yuuta spat at him, but the projectile missed. "You're next, moron," he yelled at Tadayoshi. Then he suddenly turned to Shinichi. "Sand Clone Jutsu!" A pillar of sand rose up silently behind the Leaf Chunin and reached out its arms to pull him into its crushing embrace.


	12. Chapter 12

Hello everyone! Thanks again for reading. Reviews are greatly appreciated. Or at least, they would be if I had any :P

* * *

Yuuta's Sand Clone rose up silently behind Shinichi, reaching out to capture the Leaf Chunin in its crushing embrace. "Behind you!" Tadayoshi called out to his friend.

"Uzumaki Style: Spiral Kick!" Shinichi suddenly dropped to his hands and knees and performed a hand stand, spinning both his legs upwards and striking the Sand Clone, dispersing it. The Leaf ninja transitioned this kick into a backflip, landing back onto his feet in a guard position. "Thanks, pal," he growled, "But I'm gonna handle this myself."

Yuuta laughed. "I woulda had you there if your idiot friend hadn't helped you out there." He lifted both hands. "Sand Puppetry: Double Sand Clone Jutsu!" This time two Sand Clones rose from the ground, connected to Yuuta's hands by thin "strings" of sand. With a deft twist of his fingers, Yuuta sent the two copies of himself charging at Shinichi with their fists raised to attack.

Deftly the Leaf ninja leaped high into the air, tossing shuriken at the sand wires. Yuuta tried to whip the wires out of the way, but even so two were severed by the swift bits of metal. An arm fell off of one of his clones, and a leg fell off of the other. Yuuta swore and completely disintegrated the clone with a missing leg, reforming a new one from the ground. The clone Shinichi had de-armed, Yuuta left as it was.

"So he can't repair them," Shinichi thought to himself. He leaped back as the clones closed in again. "All right then, let's try this..." He pulled a smoke bomb from his belt and crushed it in his hand, releasing a thick cloud of stinking dark vapor into the air.

Yuuta quickly spread out his Sand Clones around him so as to block any attacks that might come, but nothing happened. Slowly the smoke cleared... And there stood Shinichi, holding all the strings in one hand. Yuuta yanked away the strings and directed both of his Sand Clones to grab onto the Leaf Chunin, holding his arms in place. The Chiba boy stepped forward and sneered in Shinichi's face. "Nice try, but I'd suggest moving faster next time." He drew back one hand and punched his prisoner in the gut. With a cloud of smoke what had appeared to be Shinichi revealed itself to actually be a blow-up doll which his victim must have inflated while the smoke was in the air.

"This fast enough? Uzumaki Style: Spiral Punch!" Shinichi jumped up from the sand behind Yuuta and as the Sand ninja turned around, Shinichi slammed a fist into his opponent's solar plexus. A spiraling force rippled along his forearm and wrist and launched Yuuta spiraling into the air before crashing into the wall beside the village entrance. Yuuta fell to the ground, curled up and coughing. Shinichi walked over and kicked him in the side, drawing out more groans. "I don't care so much about myself, but say you're sorry to my friend. He was right, you Chiba guys are a bunch of jerks."

The Chiba boy glared furiously at his attacker but complied. "Sorry... Cousin."

Tadayoshi looked down at the beaten boy with distaste. "Didn't Lord Kazekage tell you? I left the Chiba Clan. Now that my sister's gone I have no reason to associate myself with worthless slime like you and your family." He too gave Yuuta a kick and then the two companions entered the village. Yuuta staggered back to his feet eventually but his "friends" had long ago left.

* * *

"Back? Good." The Kazekage set cacti bowls full of water in front of Shinichi and Tadayoshi, gesturing for them to drink. "I am sorry to say we have no news of your sister," the Kazekage told Tadayoshi. "I wish I could be positive, but I find it unlikely that our ANBU are going to be able to bring her back safely. I ordered them to only kill Miharu as a last resort, but with her skill level if they cannot convince her to come to her senses, they will most likely be forced to kill."

Tadayoshi nodded. "I understand, Lord Kazekage. Thank you."

The Kazekage turned to Shinichi. "Honorable Guest, I understand you carry a message from the Hokage?"

Shinichi bowed. "Yes, Kazekage. Lord Hokage wishes to inform you that he has taken your advice and is calling the Kage Council as soon as possible to discuss the matter you have brought to his attention. He wishes to inform you that it will be held in the Village Hidden in the Leaves as there is no time to find a neutral party to moderate the meeting."

"Thank you. Please inform the Hokage that I am very thankful he has considered my suggestion. Now, how long are you planning..."

Suddenly Sojiro Chiba burst into the room. "Lord Kazekage!" He roared. Then he saw Tadayoshi and Shinichi and paused. "There he is!" He pointed an accusing finger at Shinichi. "That's the intruder who brutally assaulted my little brother!"

"Sojiro, you will behave yourself in my presence!" The Kazekage had risen to his feet and was glowering at his outraged Jonin.

The Sand Jonin stopped and took a deep breath. His temper was really going to get him in trouble one day. Like it almost had with that traitor Miharu. "Sorry, Lord Kazekage. As I was saying, this... outsider assaulted my brother Yuuta and left him helpless and beaten up outside the gate. And in the company of that deserter Tadayoshi. I demand you give a sufficient consequence, Lord Kazekage."

The Kazekage turned sharply to look at Shinichi. "Is this true? Have you been causing trouble to my village, which has welcomed you as a guest?"

Tadayoshi stood as well. "Lord Kazekage, Yuuta was belligerently looking for a fight. In fact, he was the one who struck first, attempting to hit from behind before his opponent was aware they were fighting. All in all, Yuuta was acting much worse than Shinichi."

The Kazekage kept looking at his guest. "Is this true?"

"Yes, Kazekage."

"Well then. Sojiro, stop bothering me like a little boy every time something doesn't go your way. You are the head of the Chiba now, so act like it."

Sojiro Chiba glared at the three, but then sighed and bowed. "I apologize, Lord Kazekage." He began to leave, but then stopped and turned around. "Lord Kazekage, have the ANBU recovered the body of the traitor Miharu and returned Tanken yet?"

"No, they are currently still on her trail. But, the ANBU thinks they know where she is headed...

* * *

Miharu leaped through the swampy forest. Many years ago this had been the domain of the River Country, but since then the Fire Country had taken it over. At the present time it was filled with swamp, marsh, forest, and moor. Few crossed except those traveling the single road connecting the Wind Country to the Fire Country, but Miharu had long ago left that path and was making her way through the badlands. She knew the Kazekage would have sent the ANBU after her, but she didn't really care. All that mattered was that the Rogue Ninja needed to get to her destination quickly. Just a few more miles, and she would arrive. And the ANBU would be stupid to try and follow her there.

* * *

The fox-masked ANBU raised one hand and his four companions immediately stopped.

"You're sure, then?" The mouse-mask asked.

"Yes."

"What are we to do, then? It's suicide to go any further." The cat-mask pointed out.

Fox mask was silent for a bit. "We will return to Lord Kazekage. We have failed the mission. Miharu Chiba is officially an A-Ranked Missing-Nin. She will be marked in the Bingo Book as such." He turned around. "Let's go." The five masked ANBU vanished, as if they had never been there to begin with.


End file.
